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UPC unveils 1GW Australian onshore wind plan

Global developer UPC Renewables has unveiled plans for up to 1GW of onshore wind in the Australian island state of Tasmania.

UPC has signed an agreement with the Hammond Family, which owns Robbins Island and other land on Tasmania’s northwest coast.

The developer – which has built more than 2GW of projects across Asia, North America and North Africa since the 1990s – said its newly-formed Australian unit aims to advance projects totaling between 600MW and 1GW at a cost of up to A$1.6bn ($1.2bn).

UPC Renewables Australia CEO Anton Rohner said: “The Robbins Island project itself is a very large isolated site and, together with Jims Plain, have some of the best proven wind resources in the world.

“Once built, it will complement the Prime Minister’s recently announced strategy for Tasmanian Wind and Hydro systems to act as south-east Australia’s renewable energy battery and is close to the Australian Energy Market Operator’s proposed entry point for a second interconnector between Tasmania and Victoria.”

Tasmania has long been seen as a potential location for large-scale wind, but a previously-planned project – the 600MW TasWind – was scrapped in 2014 amid policy uncertainties.

The Robbins Island project has been on the drawing board since as long ago as 2001, but a UPC statement said it has stayed on ice until now “due to the lack of a viable transmission solution and volatility in government policy at the time”.

Rohner said: “With the changes in the energy market and potential viable transmission solutions available this projects is set to proceed; Robbins Island and Jims Plain could accommodate approximately 600MW to 1,000MW of wind energy generation capacity between them.”

The projects could include additional solar and storage elements, he added. The first projects in the build-out on Robbins Island could be ready for investment by early 2019.

The UPC announcement is the latest signal of growing momentum behind wind and other renewables in Australia, as it seeks a pathway towards a low-carbon and secure energy mix.

Plans for the country’s first offshore development – up to 2GW, also off Victoria – were unveiled last week.

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UPC unveils 1GW Australian onshore wind plan

Global developer UPC Renewables has unveiled plans for up to 1GW of onshore wind in the Australian island state of Tasmania.

UPC has signed an agreement with the Hammond Family, which owns Robbins Island and other land on Tasmania’s northwest coast.

The developer – which has built more than 2GW of projects across Asia, North America and North Africa since the 1990s – said its newly-formed Australian unit aims to advance projects totaling between 600MW and 1GW at a cost of up to A$1.6bn ($1.2bn).

UPC Renewables Australia CEO Anton Rohner said: “The Robbins Island project itself is a very large isolated site and, together with Jims Plain, have some of the best proven wind resources in the world.

“Once built, it will complement the Prime Minister’s recently announced strategy for Tasmanian Wind and Hydro systems to act as south-east Australia’s renewable energy battery and is close to the Australian Energy Market Operator’s proposed entry point for a second interconnector between Tasmania and Victoria.”

Tasmania has long been seen as a potential location for large-scale wind, but a previously-planned project – the 600MW TasWind – was scrapped in 2014 amid policy uncertainties.

The Robbins Island project has been on the drawing board since as long ago as 2001, but a UPC statement said it has stayed on ice until now “due to the lack of a viable transmission solution and volatility in government policy at the time”.

Rohner said: “With the changes in the energy market and potential viable transmission solutions available this projects is set to proceed; Robbins Island and Jims Plain could accommodate approximately 600MW to 1,000MW of wind energy generation capacity between them.”

The projects could include additional solar and storage elements, he added. The first projects in the build-out on Robbins Island could be ready for investment by early 2019.

The UPC announcement is the latest signal of growing momentum behind wind and other renewables in Australia, as it seeks a pathway towards a low-carbon and secure energy mix.

Plans for the country’s first offshore development – up to 2GW, also off Victoria – were unveiled last week.